Record for talking-machines.



No- 896,059. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

E. R. JOHNSON.

RECORD FOR TALKING MACHINES: APPLICATION FILED NOV.12,1904-.

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STATES OFFICE. ELDBI GE R. JOHNSON, oF-nEiuoN, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoa IO VICTOR, TALKING a uacnme conrauv, A conroaa'rioN onNEw JERSEY.

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' Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Aug. 11, 1908 use... fled August- 18, me, am a... 088,605. Divided and an application mdnovemm 12, 1904.

' Serial'No. zsaasa.

i To all w'lwm. u may-concern:

Be it lrnown that 1,,ELnmnGn R. JonN- -soN, acitlzen of the United States, and a resident of Marion, county of Mont emery,

State of Pennsylvania, have invente certa n.

new and usefulflfmprovements in Records .for Talking-Machines, of-which the following V is a full, clear, and exact disclosure, the subject-matter of this invention'having been originally set forth in my previous application, No. 688,695, filed Au ust 16, 1898, oi which" this application is a ivision'. 1 f

Myinvention relates to improvements in sound records of either the'cyhndrieal or disk 5 type, andrhas for its object to provide an im-= proved .record such. that the walls of the, grooves shall be so formed as'to reproduce i the sounds of the record in tones more clear an'd distinct than has heretofore been possible from records of prior construction. In forming records upon sound recording machines for use in talking machines, such as the grainoplione, where the sound waves are recorded 1n the form of a groove of even depth having lateral undulations as distinlshed from an undulatory groove of varymg depth, as in the type of machines ofwhich the phono raph is an illustration, it is essential, in order to produce a "clear record, that the material be. neatly and cleanly cut from the grooves in the rocess of recording so that smooth, well-dened, surfaces be formed in the walls of a well defined groove. v

In the art of making sound records, com- 'paratively little attention has been paid to the finishing and the forming of the surfaces of the walls of the-record groove. The vertical' oove has heretofore been cut by a recor ing tool, which, owing to the character 40 of the groove and the shape of the tool, has not only had a tendency to tear the material of the record, or distort the same, so as to form roughnesses which, in the reproduction of the record or its duplicate, cause disagreeable sounds, owing to t-he harsh vibrations of the diaphragm caused thereby, but also,

. amon other things, in the vertical ty e of .recor the resistance on the cutting stylilsin gouging out the material increases in proportion to the depth, 'which objection is over-' come in my cut laterally undulatin record groove, where the resistance-to 'the'fbrce exerted by the cuttingstylus is uniform and even.

55. I have'discovered by careful experiments widest at its mouth, and gradually that the best results-are obtained in a cut out laterally undulatory groove of substantially constant depth in a) record tablet, preferably of wax or other suitable material, and :fur-. thermore, when-the walls of the groove diverge from the bottom of the same to the Sun ace of the record, or, more s ecifically, when the walls of the groove are ormed by surfaces which in cross section give the lines of'a segment of an ellipse, the roove being ing in its width toward the bottom. By this construe-ti the material is neatly and accurately cut out, and forms a groove having smooth and well defined walls; the reeordin needle has greater freedom of oscillation, an

diminishv by reason of the relative contour of the walls I of the groove with the outline. of the needle,

this construction prevents any binding effect and secures a maximum ease of movement of. the needle with a minimum of wear upon the record.

I herein describe particularly my referred form of cut groove substantially in t \e slia e of the segment of an ellipse, though ittvil e understood that I do not limit myself-to hat particular form of roove, and it is unnecessary to further il ustrate or describe my broadinvention. I

. For a full, clear, and exact description of tlliSfOllll of my invention, reference may be had to the following specification, and to the accompanying'drawing forming a part there. of,'inwhich Figure 1 is a sectionaljview of a record showing a recording tool in operation in connection therewith, parts of said recording tool being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a large cross sectional view of the record showing 'the shape of the groove as formed therein; Fig. 3 is asectiona-l view showing a form of groove having perpendicular walls in connection with a needle with an outline substantiallylike that of the end of the record groove; Fig. 4 shows a groove of substantially thesame character'as. that shown in Fig. 3, with the stylus point of the ordinary construction in place therein Fig. 5 is a plan view of the record hsk showing the grooves spirally arranged in the surface thereof; Flg'.

6 illustrates a part of the record showing a single record groove greatly magnified and disclosing the undulatory form of the sound waves. 1

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 a groove 3 formed therein and having walls of elliptical shape in cross section, as indi- 5 cated at 4 and 5. TlllS groove as shown in Fig. 2 is widest-at its mouth and is formed by a cutting tool 2 having its'cutting edges formed by scarfing at an angle to its axis the end of'a substantially conical tool, with the result that the cuttin edges of the tool are substantially elli tica l, but when'I use the words; ellipse an elliptical, I mean having the contour which would result from the intersection of a plane with a side of a body,

show a groove having erpendicular walls '6 and 7 and'a 's'ubstantia ly arc-shape bottonu:

In Fig.i3 a blunt cylindrical stylus or needle groove, and in 4 the stylus pin 10 is con lcal in shape, and-1s that in general usein condirection transverse to the length of the oove, willjbe' prevented from havmg'that contact i the stylus with the record at the.

mouth of, the groove. In contradistinction to this action of the stylus bar and stylus,. my improved groove shown in Fig. 2 imparts? a free positive movement to the'sty'lusand ubstantially the .whole surface of the groove:

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be in contactwith the end of thestylus wit out causing the same to bind or become wedged in said groove. The oscillatin effect given to the point ofthe stylus, w e in position in the groove as it traverses the un,

dulations thereof,is best understood by ref e'rence to the elder ed groove shown in Fig. 6.. It is understoo that .in reproducing, the

record, thusformed may be used for repro.-' ducing purposes directly,-or a more durable.

and indestructible record may be reproduced by various rocessesfrom the originalrecord.

Having t us described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect" 5y LettersPat- -ent of the United States, is I v 1. A sound record having a laterally undulatory roove of substantially constant [depthma e by a tool having edges so sharpened andinchn'ed-as to cut the material as distinguished from tracing or .marking'said material.

2. A disk sound record, havinga cut latlerally undulatory groove of substantially which is substantiall conical, at an angleto the axis of the sai( body. Figs. 3and 4 face of 'the r'e'cordtablet'."

8, having'its end substantiall'yin the shape; .of a-hem1sphere,;is shown in position in said 'tioned constructions illustrated in, hfig's is' and 4, that-the stylus bar. oscillatingin the Tee and untrammeled movement which is incident to the'construction shown. in Fig. 2i owing to the .fact thatin one/case the stylus is closely confined between the vertical walls of the groove, and in the other. case the walls of the groove at its, month are liable to be quickly worn and injured owing to the slight substantially constant de th' in w "constant depth; the walls "of said: grooves diverghw from the bottom of the sameto the surface (ii the record. J

' ,3. The method of producing soundrecords. consistingi-in cutting as distinguished from 7 marking or tracingupon a tablet of suitable material by means of the lateral vibrations" I of a suitable stylus a record, groove of-apprcciable and substantially uniform depth-hav ing'latoral. undulations corresponding to the 7 5 sound waves. I

' 4. A sound record'made from a out laterally undulatory groove of substantial]. 'con-. stant depth, the walls of said groove ivergmg from the bottom of the same to the sur-y 3o umlulatorygroove of substantially constant depth in'whlch'the record groove wasformed by cutting outand' removing the material in forming the record groove, thewalls of the saidgroove divergingfromthe' bottom of-"the same to thesurfaceof the record tablet. 1'

7."A sound recordmade from .a cutout s5 laterally 'undula tory groove of substantially constantdepth, the walls of the "said groove diverging from the bottom of the same to the surface'of the record tablet.

.8. A ,disk'sound record comprising-aspirally disposed laterally undulatorygroolve lot is t e;

record groove was formed y cutting'outand" removing the mater; .l informing the record groove, substantially as described. 9. A sound record having a cut out; later ally undulatory groove ofsubstantiallycom. stant depth. M 1'," I 10. A sound record having a cut out later-.-

ally undulatory groove if substantial] jc'onstant depth, the walls of saidgroove iverging from the bottom of the same to the surface of the record. I v I I 11. The method of producing..soundgrec ords consisting in cutting. out the material in forming the record groove, as distinguished from marking or tracing, upon a tablet-of suitable material by meansfof the lateral vibrations of a suitable cutting stylus, and

forming a record groove of a ilpre iable and substantially uniform depth' aving lateral undulations corresponding to the sound waves.

1 2. The methodof producing sound records consisting incutting out the material in ,forming the. record groove,'as'distingu1shed -from marking or tracing, upon a tablet of;

suitable material by means of the lateral vibrations ,of a suitable cutting stylus; and

:forming-a record groove 'of appreciable and '180 substantially uniform depth having lateral undulations corresponding to the sound waves, and then reproducing a sound record from the original record roove so out.

13-. In the art of recording and reproducinig sounds, the method of cutting out a lateral y undulatory groove of. substantially constant depth in a tablet of suitable material by vibrating laterall a cutting stylus through the medium 0 sound waves;

14. In the art of recording and reproducinf; sounds, the method of cutting out a lateral y undulatory groove of substantially constant depth in a tablet of suitable materialbg' vibrating laterally a cutting stylus t rough the medium of sound waves and then forming a du licate thereof.

15. A record ta let for talking machines having formed therein a laterally undulatoriy groove of substantially even depth, the wal s of which in cross section are in the shape of the segment of an ellipse, widest at the mouth of the groove and gradually diminishing toward the bottom thereof. g

16. A record tablet for talking machines having formed therein a laterally undulatory groove of substantially even depth, the walls of which in cross section are in the shape of a segment of an elli se widest at, the mouth of the groove, the epth of said groove being slightly less than its width. p

17. A record tablet for talking machines having formed therein a spirally disposed laterally undulatory oove .0. substantially even depth, the we s of which in cross section are in the shape of a segment of an elli se,the minor axisofwhichissubstantially in t elane of the surface of the record.

18. a soundrecord-ing and reproducing device, a record having-a laterally undulatory oove therein of substantially constant dept and width, any cross section of which ration of a segment of an groove.

I 19. In a sound recording and re reducingmachine, a record having a lateral y undulatory groove therein of substantially constant depth and width, any cross section of which has a configuration of a segment of an elli se" whose m nor axis is substantiallyjparalel with the plane passing through the outer edge of the oove, the said segment being symmetrica and of maximumwidth at the mouth of-said groove.

a 20. A sound record of. wax or other suitable material, having a cut out laterally ungulagory groove of substantially constant 21. A sound record ofwax or other-suitable material having a cut out laterally un-' dulatory groove of substantially constant depth, the walls of said groove diverging from the bottom of the same to the surface of the record. g

22. The,method.of producing sound records consisting in cutting out the material in, forming the'record groove, as distinguished from marking or tracing, upon a tablet of wax orother suitable material b means of the1 latera fvibrations of. a1 suita le fcutting sty us, an orming a racer oove o appreciable and substantially unif ii'm depth havg lateral undulations corresponding to the sound waves. p 23. The method of producing sound records consisting incutting out the material 1n forming the reeord groove, as distin is'hed from marking or tracing, upon a ta let-of wax or other suitable material b means of the lateralvibrations of a suita le cutting st he and forming a record oove of appre- 'ci bleand substantially umr orm depth having lateral undulations corr'es onding to the sound waves, and then repro ucing asound record from the original record groove so cut.

24.- A sound record made from a cut out laterally undulatory groove of substantially constant depth. 

